Rising Shards

The field of flowers was practically silent in the aftermath of the wave. Two figures rose from it, walking across the soaked grass, their footsteps sloshing through the spots where the waves of the blood moon hadn’t fully passed over yet.

Ovie looked to Jeans, trying to hide how uncertain she felt. She wore the uniform for Wildfire Hearts students in the void; battle ready gear that felt constricting unlike the adaptive gear of Rising Shards. Jeans wore what she always wore, a mostly all denim, because the rules never seemed to apply to her. Jeans pointed to the students frozen in place.

“See?” Jeans said. “It works like it always does. This is one of the benefits of going to Wildfire Hearts. What we get to do in a raid. Especially one on Fang Moon Web.”

Jeans had explained it excitedly so many times Ovie practically had it memorized. Not only was it a rite of passage of sorts for Wildfire Hearts students to find some way to mess with the Rising and Falling Shards first year students’ Fang Moon Web trip, it was also basically an assignment. Much of Ovie’s classes since starting at Wildfire Hearts had been training for this.

“The teachers are all gone too,” Jeans said. “To them, it’s just like a glitch in the void. Once they get back in, everything and everyone will be where they should be, and we’ll be gone.”

“So…they’ll be here soon then?” Ovie said, a shiver running down her spine. She wasn’t asking about the teachers, and Jeans knew it, grinning at the thought.

"It's a raid, once they understand it, there's not much they'll be able to do," Jeans said. "Then we'll be able to do what we set out for."

Jeans suddenly hugged Ovie, gripping her back tightly as she always did, her fingertips almost scratching her. 

“Because of you, I finally get to meet them,” Jeans said. “I can’t believe you were eye to eye with them for so long and lived to tell about it.”

Jeans broke the hug and continued on with Ovie following closely behind. They walked through a group of frozen students. They weren’t frozen with her brief time stop power, instead Jeans had used an Endoran tactic that she claimed only worked when the Fang Moon Web shone in the void. One of the consequences of getting expelled and running into the strange Zak Cavalier was a recommended procedure by the Wildfire Hearts staff to dull or completely remove her petrifying capabilities. The process wasn’t painful, but she felt a bizarre emptiness as soon as the gift left her. She vowed to get it back somehow, but in the meantime hoped to use her new power on Cavalier and Zeta Faleur.

Just as the thought of Zeta crossed her mind, Jeans passed by her. The brief glance Jeans gave to her hurt, and Ovie had to fight the thought that crossed her mind to get her bloodsaber out and stab Faleur’s heart right there.

“Don’t worry,” Jeans said. “I’ve told them this is the class I’m going after.”

Ovie nodded.

“This day will be ours, so we should savor it.” Jeans said.

“I…I will.” Ovie said.

“You should sound more confident in yourself,” Jeans said. “Are you nervous?”

Ovie took too long to answer, but Jeans would have figured it out anyways.

“You know the sight of her hurts me, too,” Jeans said. “We can use that hurt to grow even stronger.”

“You’re right,” Ovie said.

“Have I ever told you about the mind flash challenge we do at Wildfire Hearts?” Jeans asked.

Ovie squinted her eyes trying to remember. Jeans might have told her, but she couldn’t think of it.

Jeans gripped the denim of her jacket. “I know I told you already.”

Ovie hated to disappoint Jeans like that. It was the kind of thing that gave them their issues according to Jeans.

“I’m sorry…” Ovie said.

“It’s OK,” Jeans said. “I’ll tell you again.”

Jeans used one of her powers to cast a projection in front of her. A vision of a Cani getting their fangs appeared within a hazy shadow.

“When a Cani’s fang comes in, Endorans can force a memory trial of sorts.” Jeans said.

“What do you mean, ‘force’ a memory trial?” Ovie asked.

“It’s like the freezing trick here,” Jeans said. “Like the power you lost, but even better. But you have to do a lot of research on your target, and time it just right when a Cani’s fangs come in. You bring them into the void, then if you have an illusion master like me…”

Jeans smugly grinned.

“You can really mess with their heads.” Jeans said. “You turn it into a sort of welcoming party for the Order of Terina. We’ll bring you along next time. You’ll love it, Ovie.”

Ovie liked the idea of being included in that.

“It’s funny, you know what made me think of them?” Jeans asked.

“What did?” Ovie asked.

“Over the summer, I was with a group that got this girl right here…” Jeans said, gesturing to Kalei.

“Who, Koridia?” Ovie asked, her nose contorting like she'd smelled cheese that had gone horrifically wrong. “Why’d you try to recruit her?”

“We didn’t get to pick who we were going after,” Jeans said, a hint of bitterness in her voice. Or hurt that Ovie had doubted her. “Just as soon as a Cani had their fangs in and they were caught in a false memory trial, we showed up, taking the appearances of the original Order of Terina members. That’s the tradition. We put our own spin on it, but the traditions were still upheld.”

“Then how’d she end up at Rising Shards?” Ovie asked.

Jeans frowned.

“She made some really bad choices.” Jeans said. “Choices like you made, I suppose. Until you made the ones that brought you back to me.”

Ovie didn’t have a good answer for that. She promised that one day, she wouldn’t let Jeans down so much.

“They’ll want to see this.” Jeans said, and gestured towards 09, another girl from Rising Shards that filled Ovie with a desperate anger just looking at. At least this freezing Endoran tactic worked on clybrid androids, unlike her former power.

“Are they really going to show up as soon as they know we’re with her?” Ovie asked.

“You ask the dumbest questions.” Jeans giggled. “We’re already with her. They’ll be here any second.”

Jeans started humming as she looked out past at the space on the field of flowers beyond Zeta’s group. It was a strange concept to Ovie; at Rising Shards, the pod leader/teacher advisor was very hands on and there pretty much all the time. At Wildfire Hearts, that sort of mentor was something you were required to earn. And this was Ovie's shot.

Ovie heard a strange sound again, the sound of broken wind chimes. The last time she heard it was when she was doing the orientation of sorts for admission into Wildfire Hearts. After she heard that sound, she came face to face with the mysterious being known only as the Exile.

In the dark then, she could only see their burning red snake eyes. But this time it was bright enough to see red smoke begin to form above the puddles from the fang moon. A figure stepped forward from the smoke.

Ovie noticed their snake eyes again first, which seemed to almost hypnotize her as soon as she met their cold stare.

A mask covered the lower half of their face, a dark colored piece of metal equipment that had a Cani skull’s teeth painted onto it. The parts of their face not covered by the mask seemed to have some kind of war paint blotched onto them, or even some kind of Elka covering their face. They had long hair that was a mix of dark red and black. A tarp-like cape flowed from their shoulders. Their clothing seemed to be the same kind of tech as their mask.

Ovie felt the same lurching feeling she felt when they first met, especially as the Exile reached them, looking back between Ovie and Jeans then to 09.

The Exile waved their free hand, and in an instant all of the Rising Shards students vanished, save for 09. They drew a bloodsaber that reminded Ovie of Jeans’ sword; it was filled with Elka, but a different form than her oily, sparking kind. The Exile’s burned like an inferno as they ignited it. They began to lift their sword, and Ovie reached for hers.

There was a sick pleasure in Jeans eyes as the Exile held their burning blade to the throat of 09.

Despite the hatred she felt for the android girl, Ovie had a sudden revulsion to the thought of seeing 09 hurt or worse right in front of her, especially if she was frozen.

“Wait…” Ovie said.

The Exile paused for a moment, then put their blade down.

“You’re so weak, Ovie…” Jeans sighed. “I apologize for her.”

Ovie looked downward. She had let down Jeans again. She couldn’t bear to see what the Exile thought of her then.

“Do you still have the mask?” The Exile asked. Their voice sounded softer than Ovie would have guessed, but still had an edge of harshness to it from the sound alteration made by the tech of their mask. Their voice somehow reminded her of pouring rain.

“Yes.” Jeans said.

“Good,” The Exile said. “Now for the next test.”

“We know exactly what to do.” Jeans said. “Everything is in place. And now we have the clybrid.”

The Exile nodded.

“I’ll find you back at Wildfire Hearts if you succeed. Another will arrive to assist with the raid shortly. Connect with them as soon as possible.”

They turned and started to walk away, their cape swinging as they moved. Something about the gesture made Ovie angry the same way thinking about Zeta Faleur did.

“Before we go, I have a few questions.” Ovie said.

Jeans winced. The Exile’s burning blade crackled as they stopped in their tracks.

“Ask.” They turned their head slightly back towards Ovie.

“You’ve been attacking groups in the Order of Terina.” Ovie said. “Why? Aren’t they our allies?”

“The remnant Terina groups aren’t true Endorans.” The Exile said. “Endora will judge them in time.”

“Alright,” Ovie said. “Then what did you do to the rest of the class here?”

“They threw them into the other void node like the others,” Jeans said. “Didn't I just explain that to you?” Jeans flicked Ovie’s forehead. “Remember? You do remember, don’t you? Or do I have to remind you every step of the Harmony plan again?”

“Enough talk.” The Exile said. “I did what you both should have. You shouldn’t have left them there so long. Anyone you ejected before then will grow suspicious, costing us valuable time for the raid. And for preparations on your 'project.'”

Before they could even start to form an apology, the Exile left, quickly marching back into the smoke.

“I can’t believe you asked that.” Jeans said.

“I just…I want to do this right.” Ovie said.

“Then trust me.” Jeans said. “You can do that, can’t you?”

“Obviously.” Ovie said, hating that she felt uncertain deep in her heart that she could. But the things Jeans had told her in the days before they left—maybe she wasn't remembering them right—they didn't match up with what she said now. Or with what she remembered Jeans had told her the weeks before. Or with what the Exile had just told them. It added up enough that she was sure Jeans had explained it right, it was Ovie's memory that was the problem. Jeans had told her how much it hurt when Ovie couldn't remember things right. 

“Come on then,” Jeans said. “We need to get her to the Harmony before the teachers get back.”

Jeans scraped her fang on a deep blue void rosin and left in a flash. Ovie clenched her fists as the lingering smoke left by the Exile and the red Elka coating the field of flowers made it look like it was burning around her. After a few moments, she followed Jeans with her own rosin and brought the android girl to their next destination.